AARHUS, Denmark, May 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- One of Denmark's leading cancer centers has placed an order for three new treatment machines and nine advanced RapidArc™ volumetric arc therapy systems from Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR), the world leader in radiotherapy. Aarhus University Hospital plans to have RapidArc installed on all nine of its Clinac® linear accelerators later this year.

The order is the latest wave of a multi-year investment program by Aarhus University Hospital to consolidate all radiotherapy hardware and software in an integrated system. Two of the additional treatment machines will be installed at a new radiotherapy center being constructed alongside the general hospital in the town of Herning, which is sixty miles from Aarhus but will effectively be a part of the Aarhus campus.

Cai Grau, research professor at Aarhus University Hospital, says, "We are very much looking forward to the efficiency gains that RapidArc will bring, which will mean we can treat more people with advanced techniques in less time. We have a roadmap for replacing all our older machines and introducing image-guided radiotherapy throughout the department, and this order means we are on course to achieve this goal."

RapidArc delivers a complete volumetric intensity-modulated radiation therapy treatment in a single arc of the treatment machine around the patient and makes it possible to deliver advanced image-guided intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) two to eight times faster than is possible with conventional IMRT. Treatment planning analyses show that RapidArc matches or exceeds the precision of conventional IMRT systems and spares more of the healthy tissue surrounding the tumor. Unrelated clinical studies on radiotherapy correlate the ability to spare more healthy tissue with reduced complications and better outcomes.

According to Professor Grau, clinicians at Aarhus will initially offer RapidArc treatments for prostate cancer patients before expanding the program to encompass other IMRT indications such as bladder and head/neck tumors.

"Rationalisation of all radiotherapy hardware and software through one supplier has taken a lot of effort on our part and it has involved our staff having to train on new systems, but we are really seeing the benefits compared with the mixed environment we had before," he adds. "There are enormous advantages for workflow and our people benefit from having a central database supporting all our imaging. It just makes the whole imaging and treatment process more efficient and seamless."

Sten Hornsleth, Varian's Scandinavian country manager, says, "Aarhus is always at the forefront of radiotherapy treatments and we are delighted that they are ensuring all their treatment machines can deliver advanced image-guided and volumetric arc therapy treatments. It demonstrates the hospital's commitment to offering its patients the most advanced and efficient radiotherapy possible."

Varian Medical Systems, Inc., of Palo Alto, California, is the world's leading manufacturer of medical devices and software for treating cancer and other medical conditions with radiotherapy, radiosurgery, proton therapy, and brachytherapy. The company supplies informatics software for managing comprehensive cancer clinics, radiotherapy centers and medical oncology practices. Varian is a premier supplier of tubes and digital detectors for X-ray imaging in medical, scientific, and industrial applications and also supplies X-ray imaging products for cargo screening and industrial inspection. Varian Medical Systems employs approximately 4,600 people who are located at manufacturing sites in North America and Europe and in its 60 sales and support offices around the world. For more information, visit http://www.varian.com/.

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About Varian

Varian (NYSE:VAR) is a leader in developing and delivering cancer care solutions and is focused on creating a world without fear of cancer. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, Varian employs approximately 10,000 people around the world.